Like many countries in the world, Australia has an ageing population. Recent data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found that in 2017, 15% of people (3.8 million) were 65 or older, and that number is projected to steadily increase in the coming decades.
With a growing number of Australians living in aged care facilities and more transitioning to them in the future, providing quality care to the elderly has never been more important. Technology, as it turns out, can play a critical role in providing that care.
Technology and the Senior Demographic
Though there has been a perception in the past that seniors are reluctant to embrace technology, that’s changed in recent years.
In fact, older adults are adopting technology at a faster rate than ever before, the World Economic Forum reports. One of their recent studies found that 70% of today’s seniors are now online, with most viewing technology as being important for staying informed, connecting with friends and families, shopping, and more.
This data shows a collective willingness amongst many of today’s seniors to use technology that wasn’t available in the past. That’s important, as these new developments can be tremendous assets in aged care facilities in terms of the level of care they can provide.
What is Obie?
Obie is a cutting-edge, interactive gaming console that uses a projector to turn any surface – such as tabletops, walls, and floors – into an entertaining and highly engaging experience. It’s lightweight, ceiling-mounted and offers a high resolution gaming display up to 2×4 metres.
Here’s what the Obie itself looks like:
And here’s what the interactive gaming experience looks like on a tabletop:
Obie can also be used to project gaming displays onto the floor:
Unlike traditional gaming systems that involve the use of a digital screen or controller, Obie is a smart unit that utilises a high-quality projector, computer, and sensors that allow users to play on a virtual surface. Rather than touching a screen or mashing buttons, users simply touch light that’s projected from the Obie, which in turn, triggers an action through the unit’s motion detection system.
Obie for Seniors is designed specifically for the senior population and is ideally suited for aged care facilities. The following video explains how Obie works in more detail:
As for games, aged care facilities have a wide variety to choose from:
One of the more popular Obie games is Maestro Extended, through which players follow music notes and play familiar songs. Not only can this provide seniors with a creative outlet, the musical component can trigger emotions and memory in players.
Another engaging option is Sketch Up Basics, which helps improve mobility, cognitive skills, and perceptual judgment. In the game, seniors move parts of their body to sketch the line to find a hidden object.
Benefits of Obie
Using Obie in an aged care facility offers several key advantages. To begin, it’s hassle-free to install and set up. In fact, a certified technician contracted by Engagis can handle the entire process for you from start to finish.
Further, Obie fits into any space. Because it uses a projector, aged care residents can play games on any tabletop, floor, or wall surface, making it incredibly versatile. With Obie, there’s no need for big screen TVs or bulky devices that take up a lot of room; it fits easily into almost any activity room.
Obie doesn’t have any moving parts or components, making it safe for seniors to use without physical obstacles that could present a trip or fall risk.
It’s also easy to control. Obie utilises the newest, most cutting-edge technologies and comes with user-friendly remote control for staff, making it easy for carers to get games up and running for residents to play at any time.
The large range of games makes it possible to find something that will suit all situations, whilst certain games can be used to encourage particular activities. There are games, for example, that are designed to stimulate cognitive activity that require concentration, problem solving, and quick reasoning.
There are also games intended to promote social interaction between seniors, as well as between seniors and visiting family members.
Another thing to note about Obie is that it’s intergenerational. Seniors in residential care can use Obie to play games with visiting grandchildren, encouraging meaningful interactions and memory-making between the generations.
There are also games to encourage movement, which can be especially useful for seniors who benefit from improving their range of motion and motor coordination.
Finally, Obie offers safe and germ-free gaming. As mentioned earlier, Obie uses projection technology through which residents only touch light during game play, rather than touching a screen or a game control. As a result, the system can be considered to be very hygienic; it’s just a matter of having someone routinely clean the surface (e.g. a tabletop or wall).
Obie in the COVID era
Continuing on the point of cleanliness, offering hygienic activities to seniors has grown increasingly important in the COVID era. While maintaining sanitation has always been a concern in aged care facilities, the pandemic has created a whole new set of challenges from a cleanliness standpoint.
Failing to take serious precautions for preventing the spread of germs puts residents at major risk. In fact, nearly half (42%) of COVID all deaths have taken place in aged care facilities, and these living spaces will continue to be at high risk for some time. Vaccines and safer precautions are certainly helping, but as the risk of variants increases, it’s unlikely that these considerations will go away anytime soon.
That said, health considerations go deeper than simply keeping seniors safe from germs and other physical considerations. “The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of residents in two fundamental ways,” explains Marc E. Agronin, MD; “directly through infection, and indirectly, but more insidiously, through social isolation and other psychological stresses.”
COVID has taken a significant toll on the collective mental health of many seniors, with the prolonged social isolation many have experienced being the equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to some estimates.
One survey found that, understandably, the well-being of 57% of residents in aged care facilities declined at the start of the pandemic. As time went on, workers in these facilities “saw a significant decline in residents’ quality of life and emotional wellbeing, despite the option of online calls, communication and relationships were hindered by quarantine and isolation.”
The bottom line is that being alone for an extended period of time has been proven to have a negative impact on the mental health of seniors and care facility residents. Without adequate cognitive and social stimulation, residents face emotional well-being issues that extend well beyond the physical threat of the virus.
Obie’s impact on Seniors
Beyond minimising the health risks associated with isolation, Senior Care During COVID-19, a November 2020 report by Obie, provided some concrete data regarding the improvements the Obie gaming system has had on the motoric, cognitive, and social behaviour of seniors.
To begin, seniors that played games on Obie regularly saw a significant improvement in their movement capabilities; in fact, a massive 97% said their level of physical activity increased because of it. Of those survey participants, the same percentage agreed that Obie was easy to use and had design elements that were properly suited to seniors.
In terms of cognitive functioning, 88% of residents saw an improvement in this area after using Obie.
As for social interactions, “85% of respondents observed a 4+ point improvement in residents’ social behaviour on a 5-point scale.” Given that Obie naturally facilitates socialisation and communication, it holds significant potential for combating loneliness and encouraging residents to interact with one another. Staff members have also reported seniors being visibly happier because of the quality time they spend with other residents and loved ones.
Finally, the data found that “94% of respondents saw general improvements in residents of at least a 4 on a 5-point scale when they began using Obie. A full 57% observed a 5/5 improvement.” In other words, the vast majority of seniors experienced a noticeable boost in their overall well-being, through the use of the technology.
It’s not just seniors that are positively impacted. As activities funding can be an issue for the family members paying for their loved ones’ care, Obie creates an outlet through which seniors can enjoy communal activities at a lower cost than many other outings. This reduces the required expenses of aged care facility residents without compromising the quality of their care.
How Obie helps carers
Besides the impact Obie has on seniors and their loved ones, it’s also a tremendous asset to the carers looking after residents. Even in the most well-run aged care facilities, carers may find themselves overwhelmed, with a limited number of staff members struggling to keep up with the needs of all the residents. And given the extra complications created by COVID, many facilities across Australia have found themselves chronically understaffed.
Installing Obie in facilities’ activity centres can be a big help for the staff that oversee residents. Carers, for example, can have four residents in a room simultaneously playing an Obie game. As residents are engaged with the game, carers can provide more focussed attention to individual residents or to their other responsibilities. This, in turn, can prevent carers from becoming overwhelmed, contributing to the overall level of care they can provide to residents.
How Obie supports aged care facility owners
There’s one final group that benefits from Obie, and that’s aged care facility owners. As mentioned, many facilities in Australia struggle with staffing — a problem that’s become especially difficult in the COVID era. When understaffing occurs, important administrative requirements and other responsibilities can fall through the cracks.
So when residents are active and engaged with Obie games, and carers are able to turn their attention to other requirements, facilities benefit in terms of the overall morale of both residents and staff. Compliance risks are avoided as greater attention can be given to operations details, and a high-quality continuity of care can be provided without the need to add headcount.
In many ways, the initial investment into purchasing Obie pales in comparison to its potential long-term savings.
Learn more about Obie
Obie is an exciting and innovative new form of gaming technology that’s tailored specifically for seniors in aged care facilities. It’s fun and engaging, and has been found to improve motoric skills by 97%, cognitive skills by 88%, and social behaviour by 84%. And with a wide variety of games available, seniors can easily be matched with experiences that are suited to their therapeutic needs.
Obie is also highly hygienic, offering the kind of germ-free experience that’s essential in the COVID era. Residents benefit, their loved ones benefit, and carers and facilities owners benefit, making it a worthwhile investment for all involved.
Want to learn more about Obie for aged care? Get the full details here, or reach out to the experts at Engagis today for more on how to add Obie to your aged care facility.
